Camus and Nagel on the Absurd
Kunyuan Zhang
Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media September 3, 2025 DOI: 10.54254/2753-7048/2025.nd26391 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that Thomas Nagel's response to Camus on the absurd is unconvincing, citing Nagel's conflation of feelings with convictions and distortion of the concern about significance, and that Nagel downplays the tragic dimension of the absurd while failing to appreciate cosmic insignificance. Also argues that Camus never clarified how his response worked and that Sisyphus symbolizes the comic or divine totality rather than the human condition, with Camus's response characterized as existentialist rather than nihilist. |
Abstract
This research aims to offer a critical analysis of Albert Camus The Myth of Sisyphus and Thomas Nagels The Absurd. Based on key documents, the analysis draws on in-depth textual analysis and philosophy discussions to deep-dive into Camuss and Nagels intellectual world. As revealed in this research, Nagels response to Camus on the absurd was unconvincing, from the conflation of feelings with convictions to the distortion of the original meaning of the concern about significance. Furthermore, Nagel downplayed the serious, tragic dimension of the absurd, but then he praised the transcendental consciousness, only to succumb to the same failure to appreciate our cosmic insignificance. Indeed, Camus himself never clarified how it did. In Camus re-imagining of the myth, Sisyphus neither characterized the condition of the human individual nor the way of mankind. Rather, it was symbolic of the comic or the divine totality. Nonetheless, it is observed that Camus recommended response to the absurd, unlike Nagels, belonged to that of the existentialist rather than the nihilist.